Musical Madness
by Symphonic Madness
Summary: In which I take my 30 best love songs on my iPhone and turn them into Zutara fanfictions that are not always in chronological order. Chapter Five: "You and Me" by Lifehouse. Ratings for each chapter range from K to T. Enjoy!
1. God Damn You're Beautiful-Chester See

_On the days I can't see your eyes_

_I don't even want to open mine_

_On the days I can't see your smile_

_Well I'd rather sit, wait the while_

_For the days I know you'll be near_

_Well a day without you, it just isn't fair_

_See the days I can hear your voice_

_I'm left without a choice_

* * *

_Zuko_

Today is the day I couldn't wait to have happen. Today is the day that I have been waiting for since I got stuck in the crystal catacombs of Ba Sing Se. Today is all I have been hoping to happen for the past six months. Today is the day I marry Katara of the Southern Water Tribe; Katara, the love of my life and the reason I am the happiest man alive.

Now, as I step into the warm bathwater to get clean before the ceremony, I remember the night I proposed.

* * *

_It was four and a half years after the end of the war, and Katara had been living with me at the palace since. She became an ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe, and decided to spend a week or two down there to spend time with her father, brother, and Suki, and to help deliver the baby she and Sokka were to have soon. She traveled by airship, and left me to my duties as Firelord alone for the time being._

_I had spent the past half a year hand carving the betrothal necklace I was to give to Katara. The necklace was made of red silk with a sapphire-colored pendant on it. The design was a heart engulfed in both fire and a wave of water. I told my advisors and councilmen a day or two before I left that I would be back with or without a bride. As expected, with the uncertainty of my announcement to them, they were outraged. I silenced them, though, with the fact that if they act out on their anger, that their disloyalty will not go unpunished._

_I made my trip to the Southern Water Tribe in secret; only taking the smallest airship I could to make the four-day journey. Uncle joined me on my escapade; deciding that her acceptance of my proposal, which he was more than positive would happen, would be a sight to see._

_When I arrive at the tribe, I land at a location far enough away from the growing town to where I won't be very visible. Iroh complained the majority of the mile-long walk, but I told him it will be worth it. I am dressed in all black, and my uncle was dressed the same way. Once I get into the town, I ask around so I can find out where Katara is staying. I find that she is staying with Sokka and Suki in their igloo. It's around dinner time when I get there, so as Iroh and I walk, we get strange looks; and not just because of our attire._

"_Remember the plan," I tell my uncle._

"_Yes. I just hope it doesn't scare Lady Katara too much," Iroh says._

"_Same here," I say._

_As planned, when Uncle and I get to the house, I go around back and scale the small igloo for the entrance to the chimney. I send a quick prayer up to Agni, thanking the spirit that there is no smoke coming out of it._

_I hear the opening of a door as I wait on the roof of the igloo, and when I hear Katara's disappointed sigh that I'm not with Iroh, I swing my legs into the chimney and slide down._

"_Zuko!" Katara exclaims after I dust myself off._

_I soon find myself in a tight embrace, which I quickly return._

"_What are you doing here? And why didn't you just come through the front door like a normal person?" Katara asks._

"_I have my reasons," I say with a smirk at her stunned expression._

_I then proceed to take out the fire lily I had been keeping warm inside the black shirt I'm wearing over my red tunic. I get down on one knee, and present her the flower._

"_Zuko, it's beautiful!" she says. "But there has to be something else you're doing. I mean, I'm flattered an everything, but why would you come all the way down to the South Pole to give me a fire lily?"_

"_Because that's not all I wanted to give you," I say._

_I reach into the pocket of my red trousers and pull out a red box. I open the box, and her eyes go wide._

"_Zuko… you're not asking what I think you're asking are you?" Sokka asks._

"_Yes," I say. "Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, I've loved you for years upon years. There's no one that I'd rather spend my life with than you. Will you marry me?"_

"_Yes!" Katara exclaims as I get up._

_She jumps into my arms and I spin her around._

_About two years after she started living with me, we decided to take things a step further, and we professed our love for one another. So now, as I get clapped on the back by Sokka, hugged by a very pregnant Suki, and kissed repeatedly by Katara, I know that this will last forever._

* * *

I get out of the bath, feeling as clean as I'll ever be, and I begin putting on my ceremonial robes. Uncle helps me with my topknot; seeing as now that my hair is longer, it's a bit more difficult.

We would've had the wedding in the Southern Water Tribe, but due to complications with various rebellions around the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, it wouldn't have been wise to take a leave of absence. So we decided to have the wedding here in the Fire Nation.

Deeming me ready, my uncle takes his place in the audience as I walk down the aisle. Katara isn't to show up for a few minutes, so I have time for a few words of wisdom from Sokka, my best man.

"How do you think she'll look?" Sokka asks in a whisper.

"Breathtaking," I whisper back.

"Right answer."

I smile at little Yue, Suki and Sokka's daughter, as she is lulled into sleep by Suki's whispering. It makes me think about my own baby that I am to have in the coming months.

Katara and I found out that we were expecting a baby just a week before the wedding. We plan on telling everybody two or three weeks after the coronation, which takes place tomorrow. Katara, with her healing abilities, already knows it's a girl, and I can't wait to give her all the love in my heart and more.

The music starts, and the congregation stands up. When I see Katara, the breath in my lungs escapes me. Decorated in long, elegant blue tribal gown, and her hair curled and left down, Katara looks absolutely stunning. I can't resist letting a wide grin on my face form. Right now, she makes a goddess look ugly. I can't help but think, _God damn, you're beautiful_. She smiles at me as we take our place in front of the fire sage, and the ceremony begins.

Soon enough, our vows are said, and we are officially married. After the feast, and when I get her alone, I make sure to show her how beautiful she is, and how happy she's made me as I shower her in kisses and affection.


	2. Just a Kiss-Lady Antbellum

_Lying here with you so close to me_

_It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe_

_I'm caught up in this moment_

_Caught up in your smile_

_I've never opened up to anyone_

_So hard to hold back when I'm holding you in my arms_

_We don't need to rush this_

_Let's just take this slow…_

_Katara_

I'd been living at the Fire Nation palace since the war's end; declining Aang's offer to join him on his Avatar duties. Zuko was more than happy to make me a member of his council; not only as an ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe, but also as a trusted advisor and source of wisdom for the often frustrated Fire Lord.

I wake up one night drenched in sweat and screaming. I can recall the bloodied mess that was my mother, and Yon Rha with the most psychopathic grin on his face I'd ever seen. He was holding a bloodied sword in his hand, and yet, my mother still managed to smile at me and tell me everything would be alright.

I ponder over what to do for quite some time before finally deciding I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. It's then I hear a few knocks, and I can hear the sound of Zuko's voice through the semi-thick wooden door.

"Katara, I heard you screaming. Are you alright?" he asks.

I get up and go over to the door. I open it and Zuko looks at me with concern and worry etched into his flawless features. Over the six months it's been since I started living here, my small crush has been slowly but surely blooming into something greater. So it pains me to see him like this.

"Can I come in?" he asks.

I step aside as an answer. I close the door behind him and he sits on my bed; wearing only a pair of shorts and sleeveless tunic. I walk over and sit down beside him.

"Did you have a nightmare?" I ask.

I nod, and burst into tears. He takes me into his arms and I sob into his shirt.

"Shhhh," he coos. "It's alright. I promise I'm here."

I respond by sobbing some more. He lifts me up and tucks me into bed shortly after. When he starts to make his way to the door, I stop him.

"Please stay," I say. "Sleep here tonight. You can go back into your room in the morning if you have to. Just please stay with me."

He looks at me, stunned, before crawling into bed with me. I move closer to him and he wraps his arms around me.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" he asks.

I nod, and then begin recollecting how the horrid dream went. When I'm finished, he tips my chin up so I can look into his eyes; his eyes, that have seen and felt so much pain and heartbreak, yet still are so beautiful. I get so lost in looking in his eyes that when he leans in to kiss me, I barely register it. But when I do, my breath leaves me and I lean into the kiss, wanting so much for it to continue. When Zuko breathlessly pulls away, he murmurs something I'd always hoped I'd hear.

"I love you, Katara. So much."

"I love you, too," I tell him.

He smiles and I'm instantly smiling in return. We fall asleep like that; my head on his chest and his head on mine in the warmth of each other and the blankets covering us.


	3. I Won't Give Up-Jason Mraz

_Well I won't give up on us_

_Even if the skies get rough_

_I'm giving you all my love_

_And God knows we're worth it_

_No, I won't give up…_

_Zuko_

When I first announced to my council that I had proposed to Katara, and she had said yes, I got a mixture of reactions. About four out of my ten council members were outraged about the upcoming marriage. One councilman, Councilman Yen, was particularly spiteful.

"Fire Lord Zuko, you can't be serious!" he exclaims at the meeting. "It would disgrace your Fire Nation heritage! And the Fire Nation itself! How dare you bring a Water Tribe peasant into the royal family!"

I literally shake with barely contained rage. "Councilman Yen, you will hold your tongue. Master Katara is my most respected, trusted friend outside of Avatar Aang and my uncle. You _will not_ disrespect her or me again. She is your future queen and my future wife. Should you act out upon your anger again I will not cease to terminate your position here."

It has been four years since the end of the war, and three since Katara and I have been more than friends. I made a necklace with the finest red silk money could buy, and the most precious gold I could get my hands on for Katara. When she accepted it, I was the happiest man alive. She was sad to see her mother's necklace be put away, but I told her that we would give it to our daughter someday, should we have one. That seemed to cure her sorrows and that's where we are now.

Six out of my ten councilmen were thrilled to get the news that their lord was getting married, and that they would have a queen. We continue discussing wedding plans and various political issues for quite some time before I stand and walk towards the door, telling my council what was about to happen.

Katara was standing outside the door. I told her to do that so I could show her to my council not as my confidant, but as my future Fire Lady.

"I present to you Firelord Zuko and Fire Lady Katara," a guard announces.

The councilmen bow to us as we make our exit, and when we're out the door, Katara looks at me with a shy smile on her face.

"Let's go to the garden. You and I are free for the rest of the day. I would love to just spend the day with you," she says.

"I agree," I tell her. "I want to change into something more suited for lounging around in the heat. And these heavy royal robes aren't it."

"Neither are these," Katara says, gesturing to the blue and lavender robes she has on. "I'm gonna get changed, too."

We go to our room together and begin changing. Katara and I have been sharing a bed for the past year, and then made love for the first time just a short time after that so seeing each other barely clothed wasn't that much a problem. I change into a pair of shorts and a sleeveless V-neck tunic, and Katara changes into an outfit very similar to that of the one she donned during our time in the Fire Nation during the war. She chooses to go barefoot, and I do the same.

We walk hand in hand to my mother's favorite garden, and when we get there, we sit against the tree nearby the turtleduck pond. Katara is in my arms, and I can't think of a more perfect moment.

"Zuko?" Katara says.

"Yes?"

"I'm scared."

"What are you scared of?" I ask her.

"I'm scared your people won't love me. I know your council doesn't like me. I'm just afraid your people will have similar feelings about me," she says.

"Katara, those are cranky old geezers who served Firelord Ozai and some have even served Firelord Azulon. Who cares what they think?" I say with a chuckle.

"Well obviously you do. They advise you."

"The only reason I haven't fired some of them is because my uncle said it would not be wise. I wouldn't have them if I had a choice on whether to keep them or not," I tell her. "Plus, six out of the ten of them were happy for us when I told them we were getting married. They were happy that their nation would finally have a strong female influence in Fire Nation politics. And Spirits know you're a strong influence. And with the arrangements I've made with them, you will have more power than you would have if I didn't set new protocol for the Fire Lady's power level."

"Really?"

"You bet," I say. "And even when things get hard, and no one accepts our relationship, I won't give up on it. On _us_. I promise you that at the very least."

And one year later, when the rebellions that have been taking place across the Fire Nation come to an end, and our firstborn, Kya, comes into the world, Katara looks at me and smiles.

"You weren't kidding when you said you wouldn't give up," she says as she gently places Kya in her crib.

"Nope," I tell her. "That's why the rebellions were crushed. And why my presence on the battlefield was necessary. I fought to keep my family, and in the end I succeeded."


	4. You'll Be In My Heart-Phil Collins

**I usually use the name Kya in most of my Zutara fanfics as the name for Zuko and Katara's daughter. I just love the name so much, and plan on naming my own future daughter that (but that's a long way away). Sorry for the repetitiveness, but I just love that name. Thanks!**

**-Symphonic Madness**

_Come stop your crying  
It will be alright  
Just take my hand  
Hold it tight_

I will protect you  
From all around you  
I will be here  
Don't you cry

For one so small,  
You seem so strong  
My arms will hold you,  
Keep you safe and warm  
This bond between us  
Can't be broken  
I will be here  
Don't you cry…

_Zuko_

I wake up to the sound of a baby wailing. I hear Katara's muffled groan, and I smile.

"Want me to get her?" I ask my sleeping wife of two years.

"Would you?" she asks.

"Of course," I say. "Just go back to sleep, my love."

"Thank you, Zuko," she says.

"My pleasure."

I get out of bed and walk over to the crib where our eight month-old daughter, Kya, is crying. I lift the screaming infant into my arms, and rock her gently.

"Shhhh," I coo. "Hush, little one. It's all okay. Are you hungry? I bet you are."

I use my free hand to reach for a bottle of milk and heat it with my firebending. I feed it to Kya and she gurgles happily when she's done. I shake my head and smile at her and kiss her forehead.

"I promised myself I'd be a better father than mine," I tell her.

"And you kept that promise," Katara says, hugging us both from behind.

I really hope so," I say. I feel a tug on my long hair, and I see Kya playing with a lock of it. I laugh. "Well aren't you the little attention hog?"

"Like her uncle," Katara says with a smile.

"Just like her uncle," I say with a smile. "She looks a lot like my mother, other than her tan skin."

Our baby yawns and falls asleep in my arms, and I take the bottle out of her tiny hands, place her in her crib, pull the blanket up to her shoulders, and kiss her forehead.

"I love you," I say. "You're so beautiful. And between you and me, I've got a bet going with Aunt Toph and Uncle Sokka that you'll be a waterbender when you get older. Make Daddy proud, baby girl."

Katara swats my arm playfully. "You made a bet with Toph and Sokka that she'll be a firebender?" I give her a cheeky smile in response, to which she laughs, and then a shocked expression forms on her face. "Wait… did you say you made the bet with Toph that she'll be a waterbender?"

"Yeah. Why?" I ask.

"Because she made a bet with me that she'll be a firebender. So either way she'll get money from one of us," Katara says, slapping her forehead with her palm. "No wonder she was smiling so wide when we made the deal! She's way too clever for us."

"But hey. We lucked out. She hasn't had her baby yet. And we're expecting another one," I say, lightly patting my wife's still somewhat flat stomach.

"It won't be here for another seven months. So don't get too excited just yet. But I can give you an insight as to what the baby's gender is. But only if you get up with Kya every night for the next two weeks."

"Deal," I whisper happily. "So what's this beautiful baby gonna be?"

"I don't think he'd want to be called beautiful. Try handsome," Katara says.

"It's a boy?" I ask.

"Yup."

I hug Katara tightly to me and press a passionate kiss to her lips. "I love you. So much."

"Shhhh! You'll wake the baby!"


	5. You and Me-Lifehouse

**This will chapter will be a milestone for me. Why? This will be the first time I will have written anything AU. This takes place in modern day with no bending. Though Zuko still is incredibly attractive. In this particular oneshot, Zuko, Katara, and Sokka are the same age (seventeen), and Toph and Aang are sixteen. This is a Zutara/Tokka oneshot. No Sukka this time. Sorry to anyone I disappoint. I hope you enjoy this! No flames please(:**

* * *

**-Symphonic Madness**

'_Cause it's you and me_

_And all of the people_

_With nothing to do_

_Nothing to prove_

_And it's you and me_

_And all of the people_

_And I don't know why_

_I can't keep my eyes off of you…_

* * *

_Katara_

"Hey, Katara," Zuko says as he walks up to me after school. "Are we still on for tonight?"

"Of course," I say. "We're still going to your house, right?"

"Yep. Uncle says we have the house to ourselves as long as we, 'use the tea in moderation'," Zuko says, imitating his old uncle.

I laugh as we approach his car. Zuko and I have known each other since we were four years old; living in the house next to his has its perks. We've been best friends since then, though I've been spending these past two years crushing on him. Thankfully, I'm excellent at hiding my feelings for him, thus why he hasn't caught onto what I'm really feeling just yet.

To save gas money, Zuko and I alternate who drives the other to school. Today is Zuko's turn to drive. Sokka, my twin brother, chooses to ride with Toph every day, even though he's seventeen and can drive. Toph and Sokka have been dating since he was in ninth grade and she was in eighth. Their relationship has had its ups and downs, but being the tough cookies that they are, they've stuck together.

Zuko plugs the auxiliary cord into his iPhone and scrolls through his music until he finds a song he wants to listen to.

"Pop quiz! What song is this?" Zuko asks.

"Headstrong by Trapt," I say. "Easy one."

_Back off I'll take you on_

_Headstrong to take on anyone_

_Headstrong, we're headstrong_

Despite liking this level of intensity when it comes to rock, I tend to also like a lot of easygoing stuff, like Lifehouse, Ed Sheeran, and artists like that.

We get to his house and get out of his car. When we get in the house and into his room, we place our school bags on the floor. Zuko and I lie back on his bed, and begin talking. He starts the conversation by asking me how my day went.

"It went pretty well," I say. "I aced my Physics exam with flying colors. How'd you do on that test anyway?"

"Bombed the damn thing," he says with a chuckle. "But I aced my Spanish test."

"Prove it," I say.

I already took both parts of the Spanish class offered at Ba Sing Se High, and Zuko was currently on the second part of it. So it wasn't uncommon for me to quiz him on the subject; seeing as that was one thing academically we had in common. We are both excellent at it, so we often banter back and forth in the language.

"¿En serio? ¿No somos un poco viejo para esto?" he asks me.

"No. Me encanta burlarse de ti," I say.

**(AN: By the way, what Zuko said roughly translates to, "Really? Aren't we a bit old for this?", and what Katara said translates to "No. I just love teasing you". I don't speak Spanish, but I figured putting something like this banter in would make the oneshot a bit lighter and more humorous.)**

"Touché," Zuko says.

"That's French, numbskull."

"But it's all I can come up with in reply to what you said. You know I'm not good with words," he says. "Speaking of that. I wanted to show you something."

He gets up off of the bed and reaches for his guitar. Taking a pick out of his pocket, he begins to strum the strings. I recognize the tune as that of my favorite song from my favorite band; "You and Me" by Lifehouse. He begins singing in that beautiful, rugged voice of his, and I'm instantly infatuated with the sound. I've heard Zuko sing before, but I never imagined him singing my favorite song could sound so… intoxicating. That's the only word I can come up with to describe the sound. When he finishes the song, and takes his guitar off of his shoulders and puts it on its stand, I move in closer and hug him.

"Katara, that whole song was true from me to you. I love you. I have for the past three years," he says. "I don't know how else to put it. So I put it in a song. Even though it's one that's already written, I…"

In a sudden burst of courage I press my lips to his in a kiss that expresses so much of what I'm feeling that it makes me tumble forward and he falls back-first onto the red sheets of his bed.

"I'm not good with words, either. But your song summed up exactly how I feel, too," I say with a smile.

He laughs and hugs me. "So I take it you love me, too."

"That's what I just got done saying, numbskull."


End file.
